Blast-furnace casting apparatus



Patented Dec. 21, 1926.

VUNI-D rays l JAMES E. LOSE, OF NILKINSIB'URGl',`PENNSYLVAIA.. l

BLAST-FURNACE CASTING APPARATUS.'

'lappiiatiqn ined Maya@ 1925.' semaine. 30,180.

This invention relates'to blast furnace casting appara-tus' and more particularly to' apparatus for handling and controlling the \i1otch or tapping hole 3 in the furnace flow of molten materials issuing from the tapping hole or iron notch of blast furnaces `or similarsmeltingfurnaces.

The principal object of this invention is to provideimproved nieans'for reclaimingor trapping theiron from the slag or `cinder which is skimmed `from the iion during its `flow. through the apparatus.-

Another object is to provide means for reclaiming,r or'trapping the iron which will be vautomatic in operation,-thereby eliminating the manual labor heretofore necessary in operating the apparatus heretofore used for this purpose.

A' further object to-pro'vide apparatusy having the novel desgn, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus con-- structed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line II--II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on the line III- III'of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional elevation on the line IV-.IV of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings, vthe numeral 2 designates a blast furnace provided with the usual iron notch .or tapping hole 3 and with the' customary cinder notch or cinder tapping hole 4. The cinder or slag which is iushed or tapped from the furnace through the notch 4 is led in the cinder runner trough 5 to the cinder ladle cars or` other point of disposal.

The iron flowing from the furnace during the casting operation is handled 4or conveyed in a system of runners or troughs,

' which are preferably formed of cast metal, madeyin sections of convenient length, to a series'of branch runners or troughs leading each to an iron ladle car,vin which cars the metalis removed in bulk and in av molten state from the blast furnace, or to a pig bed, in cases where the metalis cast into pigs in the cast house of the furnace. The troughs are provided with suitable shutters orremovable gates, by which the stream of molten metal is controlled and is directed into different branch troughs in the usual manner. The trough systeinlfi'comprises a skimming trough 6A .leading from the iron and connecting wzth arinainY-iron runner or trough 8. i

'I he trough 6 1s provided with a dam 9, whch is preferably formed integral thereivith, and with a removable ,skimming bar- 'riei' 10, which is adjustably held in. the slots or'recesses 'l0'l located in the opposite sides of the trough 6. The trough 6 is also provided with'a draining opening 11L at a point above the damA preferably in one of the side walls of the trough, as shown, in whichcase,

the opening is closed by means of the shut-` ter or gate 12l which consists ofa vertically removable plate or metal bloek fitting within the groo'i'es'lQa in the trough, and'opera.-

tively connect-ed with the hand lever 13. A

second skimming barrier 14 vis laced in lthe trough 6, being located below t e first skimming barrier 10 and above the-daml 9 and projecting downwardly into the stream of molten iron This skimming barrier also is removably ysecured in thev trough 6. The draining opening 11a in the trough 6 is provided vwith a ybranch or draining trough 18 which extends to a point above one of the iron ladle cars, or is connected with and drains into the main iron runnerv or trough at a suitable point in its length, below the dam 9. The trough 6 is also provided at a point behind the skimming barrier 10 with a branch trough 16, which serves to carry off the cinder or slag backed up in the vskim- -ming trough 6 by the barrier `10 during the casting operation.

The trough 16 is shallow throughout its length except at its rear portion immediately next to the trough 6 where it is deepened forming a settling basin 17. The rear end of the basin 17 is as deep as the trough 6 and its'bottom wall 17a is inclined upwardly from the rear end of the basin forwardly to the normal bottom of the. main portion of the shallow trough 16.

The settling basin 17 permits any iron iii the molten slag or cinder to settle out, and due to its location next to the trough 6 and its inclined bottom wall the iron which settles out of the slag will flow back by gravity into the main body of iron in the trough 6. v 1- The draining trough 18v is provided with a removable dam 20, and, at a point above ythis dam the trough 18 is provided with a branch trough 21, which connects with and empties the trough 18 into the cinder trough 16. The trough 21 is provided with a removable overflow gate 22, which serves to raise the level of the molten materials be- In the operation of my improved apparatus, the tapping hole 3`of the blast furnace is opened in the usual manner. The iron then flows from the furnace and down the trough 6 and backs up forming a pool behind the dam 9, flows over the dam 9, and thence downwardly through the main iron trough 8 into the several branch troughs.

The skimming barrier 10 projects downwardly into the trough 6, the bottom edge of the skimming barrier being at or about the level of the top of the dam 9. The cinder liowing from the blast furnace with the iron, on account. of being lighter, will float on top of the molten iron, and on reaching the barrier 10 will be backed up in the trough behind the barrier. The heav` ier molten iron iows below the sheet of lighter molten cinder, under the barrier and up over the dam, and then downwardly through the trough 8. The cinder backed up in the trough 6 by the skimmingJ barrier is carried off sidewise by the cinder trough 16. The deepened portion or settling basin 17 at the rear or entrance end of the trough 16 serves to form a pool of cinder and iron which slows up the flow of the mixture so that the iron which is heavier than the cinder or slag'will settle out of the cinder and, due to the inclined bottom of the basin, will iow back into the main body of iron in the trough 6. The larger portion of the cinder continues on down the cinder trough 16 to the cinder ladle cars or other point of disposal. Attimesconsiderable cinder having iron in the form of globules, which is known as buck shot, mixed with it, is carried in under the skimming barrier 10, and, in order to prevent the cinder being carried over the dam and down the -main iron trough 8, I provide the second skimming barrier 14, which is placed at a point in the trough 6 between the dam and the first skimming barrier 10, and projects -downladle cars. The removable dam 2O and gate 22 have been previously placed in position in the trough 18. The molten materials flowing down the trough 18 are then separated, the skimmer 23 stopping the progress of the cinder down the trough 18 and causing it to be diverted over the overflow gate 22 and down the branch drain trough 21 into the cinder trough 16. The iron flowing down the trough 18 passes in under the skimmer 23 and over the dam 20 to the ladle cars or other point of disposition.

While I have shown and described only one specific embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto since various modifications in the construction and arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus may be made without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: i

1. The combination with a blast furnace skimming trough having means for separating the molten cinder from the iron therein, separate troughs leading from said skimming trough for conducting away the separated iron and cinder, said cinder trough having a deep portion at its juncture point with said skimming trough forming a settling basin in which iron may settle out of the cinder, said deep portion of said cinder trough. being provided with a rearwardly inclined bottom wall so that iron settlingv therein will dow back into said skimming trough. y,

2. In a blast furnace casting apparatus, a skimming trough having means for separating cinder from the iron flowing in said trough, a ycinder overflow trough leading from said skimming trough, said overflow trough having a deep portion adjacent its juncture with lsaid skimming trough forming a settling basin in which iron may settle out of the cinder, and means for permitting the ironA settled into said deep portion to flow back into said skimming trough by gravity.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

'- JAMES E. LOSE. 

